Posted on 12/13/2005 7:41:05 AM PST by unionblue83
One hears a lot about the Crusades when studying the terrorist threat, and almost exclusively in the form of an accusation. These centuries-old conflicts are raised whenever someone, whether from the region or not, seeks to activate the Western guilt complex. We have to understand this conflict from their point of view, one is told. Memories are long in the region. The time of Saladin is as though yesterday. Had the Europeans (and by extension Americans) not started it all with the Crusades, we might not have the problems we face today.
O.K., but what about their crusade? We are accustomed to looking at maps that show an area called the Muslim world, stretching from West Africa across the Middle East to Southeast Asia, as though this always has been and must be; but before the time of Mohammed these same areas were Christian, Jewish, Hindu, or Zoroastrian, among others. How did they make the switch, and what happened when they did? This is the topic The Legacy of Jihad: Islamic Holy War and the Fate of Non-Muslims a new anthology edited by Andrew G. Bostom. This exhaustive, 759-page tome contains both primary-source material and interpretive essays, dating from the earliest period of Muslim expansion to the present day. One learns very quickly that the caliphate was established not by evangelism but by the sword, and the non-Muslims who were subjected to the rule of the caliphs were either forced to convert, allowed to live as social inferiors under a religious caste system called dhimmitude, or simply killed outright.
(Excerpt) Read more at nationalreview.com ...
bttt
Actually Canada gave women the right to vote before the USA did.
Islamic history is also known as couldn't be further from the truth history, a step well beyond the revisionist hisory of the left.
Other crusades following those are wrongfully called Christian Crusades simply because most of Europe was inhabited by Christians. ALL the crusades were lead by rulers and landlords hoping to improve their lot. They weren't lead by preachers with bible in hand.
ding! ding! ding! You win the prize. The French have a long history of surrendering, and just not fighting very hard. They had a silly king who dressed in womans clothes, and some muskateers who drank alot and told fabulous stories. /s
If it wasn't for Ghingis Khan, barbaric as he was, he terrified even the barbaric Muhammadans, halting their advance. The Frence never really had much of a fight, just weakened Muhammadans crusaders in the south of France, that had attempted to enter France from Spain.
If Jimmy Carter had done his duty and left Tehran as a piece of nuclear glass, we would not have this problem today!
I assume that's Groucho, not Karl. :)
I errored... it took a very long time to copy the page (word-for-word, diacritical-mark-after-diacritical mark).
Lesson learned? Yes... do not talk when the teach says not to and big books are scarry :-) Not really... I'm trudging through Eco's Focult's Pendulum. Very painfull read, but I will... I will win!
I'm trudging through Eco's Focult's Pendulum. Very painful read, but I will... I will win!
I've tried to read three of his books...All three have bookmarks about five pages in. |
But, like you, I shall persevere...Or rent the DVD.
BTW, this is how my head feels trying to plow through his tomes... |
Yup. When I said "into modern times" I wasn't refering to their preferred lifestyle, but simply the date on the calendar.
The leaders want slaves and harems and they want the masses to live in abject stinking goat-groping poverty.
if the Europeans had finished the job, we might not have the problems we face today..I don't know how well we could have "finished" them. The slamies were pretty tough in those days. They were the only nut that Genghis Khan couldn't crack.
Every movie about the Crusades always starts with knights going over to the poor Muslims and taking away their homes.
It never starts with the fact that the Muslims spent the prior 450 years climbing out of their sandbox to murder their way across Egypt, into North Africa, then into Portugal and Spain, and into France, where Charles Martel finally put a stop to it all. They then spent 300 years ruining the Mediterranean shipping trade and with the aid of the Vikings, plunged Europe into the dark ages. It wasn't until well past the age of feudalism that Europe was in any kind of shape to come back and repay the Muslims for their past hospitality.
I hate Hollywood.
You should be very happy you said the magic woid..so give yourself a $100...while your at it give me a $100 and make us both happy..
bump
He had a horse?
I guess the same applies if his camel spit there.
jihad bump
Me too and this one sounds like a very good read.
Good article about the spread of Islam.
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